How can someone save money on phone calls from jail?

A:

Quick Answer

The only way one saves money on phone calls from jail is by making local calls rather than long-distance calls. If a person in jail regularly calls someone who is not in the local vicinity, he can use a program such as Prison Connect to save money.

A variety of calling-from-jail programs exist including Prison Connect, Inmate Call Savings and Easy Jail Call. Prison Connect is the most affordable at $4.99 per month after one free month. The program works by saving on the long-distance phone calls made by giving the inmate a number local to the inmate facility. When the inmate calls this number, the call is redirected to the phone number the inmate wants to call. On average, inmates can save up to 80 percent a month if they talk on the phone enough.

To sign up for the program, go to the Prison Connect website and enter the facility name where the person is in jail. Then, enter the number of the person the inmate wants to call, after which that phone receives a verification code. After the phone is verified and payment information is entered, a local number is generated that the inmate can call to save money.

Prison Connect is available for all prisons because it is FCC-regulated and blocking Prison Connect numbers is illegal.